by jcastles | Jun 11, 2012 | Family, Uncategorized
Well as most of you already know my air conditioning went out 1 week ago today. It’s crazy how something we take for granted can change your life tremendously. Even if it was just for 1 week.
The temperature here in Texas was heating up. Most of the time it was out it was in the 90’s. But for a couple days we hit close to 100 degree’s!! We had already bought 1 window unit but quickly knew we needed more. Luckily Aarons rents window units and stand alone units so we got one of each (the cost for them was the cost of buying just one and we only have them for 2 weeks). When your house isn’t built to use these units it sure can be a PITA! Furniture had to be moved, curtains had to be pinned, blinds moved, you can’t run the hair dryer/flat iron, iron clothes, or even run the dishwasher/stove/oven/washer/dryer w/out the house heating up even more. Even the dirty clothes hamper had to be moved so the insulation from the attic wouldn’t fall in it. The kids had to sleep with their doors open with fans blowing the air from the stand alone unit into their rooms. Lil note here, my kids do not sleep well with their door open! It meant late nights and early mornings…..which wasn’t good since I was already moody from no ac.
The company that came out really had their work cut out for them. They were here every single day but Saturday working on it. It’s not that they didn’t know what they were doing, they certainly did. The problem was there was a short in the low voltage thermostat wire (wire from the thermostat to the unit outside). But before they tracked that down the circuit board was replaced, thermostat was replaced and the transformer was replaced…not just because they were trial and erring…it’s because all that was bad too!
I am definitely thankful for all the electronics that I wasn’t able to run during this time and for the air conditioning that is now cooling the house correctly.
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by jcastles | Jun 10, 2012 | Uncategorized
This week we have made HUGE PROGRESS!!!! The first Saturday of summer we transformed the crib into the toddler bed! He fell out of it twice (no injuries)…good thing it’s close to the floor. I just noticed that those eyes behind the crib are kinda creepy, lol!
The second night he only fell out once! Then the ac went out in the house…that’s when I panicked!! I panicked because he sleeps well in the dark…he can sleep up to 14 hours a night in the right conditions. And believe me he needs those 14 hours! So when I couldn’t close the door cause we needed the stand alone ac in the hall to reach his room I knew we could possibly encounter problems. But I couldn’t give up. So we closed his door (with fans in his room) and opened them once he was asleep. He did rise early but it was fine….7am wasn’t as bad as it could have been. So far it’s been a week and I’m happy to report he is doing GREAT with his big boy bed! He won’t even get out and roam the house….he stays in bed until we tell him he can get out…it’s so cute and I will let that last as long as possible, lol!!
So for the next big boy step was to get him off the bottle! With the help of his awesome teachers we successfully got him off of the bottle for water but for some reason I couldn’t convince him to not want the bottle for milk (or dilk as he says, hehe). So I had this bright idea to mail the bottles to the babies!! I’ve heard of people doing it for paci’s so I thought we could try it. And IT WORKED!!! Sure he asked for them a couple of times but since I took pictures I’d just pop them up on my phone and show him as a reminder that they went to the babies and he was fine.
Packing them up!
Mailing them out!
SUCCESS!!!! Oh and it was ravioli day…had to cover up that white shirt!
Next up….hardcore potty training!! I’m good with other kids at this but for some reason mine just don’t want to do it. But it’s time…he is going to have no choice!.
by jcastles | May 27, 2012 | Family, Recipes
It came and went so fast. We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on May 24th! Well we actually had our “dinner” the night before so the older kiddo could watch the other kiddo’s since he had that day off work.
We were given an Outback Steakhouse gift card so yah….we went there! We both had the new york stip steak, garlic mashed potatoes and a salad! And we had to get the bloomin onion and scarf as much bread as possible! We were so full from our meal we decided to get dessert to go. He got cheesecake and I got key lime pie….they don’t really have a selection so i settled on something i’d have a bite of and pass it on to the hubbs. Which is what happened 2 days later!
On our actual anniversary the hubbs came into the bedroom after I woke up and he had 2 glasses of what looked like champagne or white wine. It was red bull! We’re funny like that…..who has a red bull toast?!
Since we celebrated our anniversary with a nice dinner the night before I knew we weren’t going to do anything the rest of the day so I decided to make a nice dinner and his favorite dessert!
Pork chops, buttered parmesan noodles, carrots, and his favorite chocolate pie!
In preparing this dinner I knew I wanted to make something good and we’ve had a lot of chicken lately so I went with pork chops. I wanted to do shake n bake but kroger was out of the generic and I just couldn’t/wouldn’t pay for the name brand there…yeesh it was expensive. So I went with seasoned bread crumbs and seasoning salt….yah, I should have paid for the brand. Then I wanted a buttered noodle and I had some leftover parmesan so I added that to the noodles. OMG best thing ever!!! It’s definitely going to be a new favorite around here. Then I chose regular ole canned carrots and added salt, pepper, and butter. Easy yummy satisfying dinner!
The chocolate pie is just a regular ole jello pudding chocolate pie. I just put my cool whip in a pastry bag and piped it on top and added mini choco chips. The hubbs favorite crust is the shortbread but kroger was out of it too! So I went with a chocolate crust since we both don’t really care for a graham cracker crust.
Happy Anniversary dear! Let’s have MANY more!! Love you!.
by jcastles | May 20, 2012 | Uncategorized
Food trucks are popping up EVERYWHERE! I found out about them through Red Jett Sweets. And I found out about RJS back in September 2011 from a blog I frequent Cupcakes Take The Cake. They live in New York so when I saw that they visited a mobile cupcakery in the Dallas/Fort Worth area I about flipped! I had to go. So after convincing my husband who thought it was weird we finally went!
Somehow I was so wrapped up in the adventure of a cupcake out of a truck I didn’t get 1 single picture! I’ve been back multiple times too and I still haven’t captured 1 single stinkin picture.
When I found out there were several other food trucks I was wowed! Now there are tons that I know of but I haven’t been able to taste more than a couple of the trucks. Luckily there are a few food truck parks that have opened up around us and I’m always trying to find a way to get there. Now that my husband has tried a few he’s a food truck lover too!
I find out about the food trucks through DFW Food Truck Foodie. The Fort Worth Food Park was the first in Fort Worth to open. Then this past Thursday the Cowtown Chow Down food park opened up. In July a food park will open up less than 3 minutes away from my house!!! I’m so excited for the Keller Food Park to open up!!
Here’s a few of our favorite food trucks.
So-Cal Tacos (I do have a pic here!) 
Gepetto’s Pizza Truck
Weiner Man
Lee’s Grilled Cheese
Red Jett Sweets
Salsa Limon
Ssahm BBQ
I can NOT wait to try several more since they’ll be so close to home!.
by jcastles | May 4, 2012 | Birthday Parties, Family, Recipes
Well…I dunno if it was the best but it sure was for me and everyone that came! Here’s a snapshot of the items we made.
The cupcakes are not in the ninja colors my son wanted….but it’s so hard to get red frosting!! So if he wanted frosted cupcakes he was getting what I made, lol!
I did make the white buttercream frosting but I had a little trouble with the chocolate frosting this time. Which is weird since I’ve made it before with no problem. But this time it was so gritty. I tried all the tips online that I could find on how to reduce or fix the problem but nothing worked. I eventually had to toss it. I think I know what the problem was…..I started out using one brand of powdered sugar and finished with another. It was the Target brand powdered sugar….even in the bag is was so gritty. I tossed it too! So at 11 o’clock at night I wound up doing what I thought was best….canned frosting!! I know I know!! But I had everything on such a tight schedule that I didn’t have time to mess around with it and well…it was for a kids party…not like they really care. It was frosted and yummy! Sure I could have started over but I had already tossed a batch of red buttercream…that looked more mauve and speckley than the elmo red I was going for.
Each kiddo got to take home a sword, headband, sushi, and popcorn (and some snuck home the ninja stars–that’s ok though). They all loved it too!
Ok…so now the good party stuff!
My hubbs designed the invite (I want to say i’m sorry for all my input but they turned out fantastic!). Then we sent it to Walmart and had them printed….which I love because it’s WAY cheaper to do that way! We spent under $7 on 35 invites! But the real money was spent on the envelopes….$10 at Michaels!! Still not bad (I used my 20% off coupon–get their app and become a rewards member to get their coupons). We could have gone with plain white generic envelopes but this was a cool party that needed cool black envelopes.
The thank you card is being created now so I don’t have an image of that but it’s going to match the invite.
For weeks I’d looked online and got lots of good ideas for stuff to make for the party. We wanted swords, chinese stars, the sushi snacks, pinata, chinese lanterns…the whole deal! So we started planning.
We had everything planned down to the minute…and of course that didn’t go down the way it was suppose to. We let the kids play on the playground as they arrived until the pizza arrived. It was suppose to be about 30 min of free play there..wound up being 45 minutes but I don’t think they really cared. Once the pizza got there we ate lunch then cupcakes. It was so windy out that I couldn’t even have a candle (or the decorations I’d bought–grrr, I had some cool chinese lanterns that I searched and searched for too) so I told my son to pretend to blow the candle out. He took me seriously and as he leaned in he got a cupcake smooshed in his face…..total accident!! Seriously it was! I was thinking about doing it though. After food we played some ole fashioned games!
Our first game was Capture the Ninja. We broke the kids into groups of 2 and gave them 2 rolls of crepe paper (dollar tree—2 for $1!!). They had so much fun! Then we made a game of picking up all the paper and throwing it away, lol!!
Our second game was the ninja star throw. We found some stars we wanted to order on Amazon but we waited WAY too long to order them so I said I’m sure I can make them outta duct tape. Turns out you can! But I couldn’t….at first. My stepson is a duct tape guru. Seriously he is! He made a duct tape suit once…yah, he’s awesome! So I said here’s the duct tape and here are the instructions, show me. Nope, still couldn’t understand it. So he made me 4 (all the time we had that day before he had to go to work). So while he was at work I tried and tried and tried. And finally like they always say…practice makes perfect….I had done it! I was a ninja…a true duct tape ninja star maker! So I made 8 more! Yah they’re awesome! This is the tutorial we used.
To play the game we used a hula hoop we got at The Dollar Tree, duct taped it to a large wooden dowel and spray painted it all silver….oh and our grass in the front yard, lol. So they stood a good distance and each kiddo had 3 turns to toss a star through the hoop. But we were going to let them until they got it through. Most got it through the first time so I’m guessing it wasn’t as hard of a game as we thought. Once they got it through they completed ninja training and received their sword and were allowed to battle.
Our last game was the Ninja Battle. We loved the paint stick idea for the swords (paint silver use duct tape for the handle) but when Home Depot was out of paint sticks (we even offered to pay for them hoping they’d find a stash, lol) we decided to go another route. We bought eight 8 foot foam pipe covers and cut down to sword size. Each made 3. Then I took black duct tape and wrapped 3 pieces around one end to make a handle. We really liked it in the end because they are much safer and the kids could actually use them at the party rather than a wooden sword no one would let them use…ever!
The sushi was very fun and easy! Everyone loved it. I got the tutorial here. Seriously so easy. My concern was how the fruit rollup was going to stick to itself but it’s pretty sticky and it stuck to itself with no problem. I actually made them the day before and tied them in lil bags. I was worried they’d dry out so I didn’t use the twist tie show above, I changed it after the pic. I used regular ole gift wrap ribbon and tied them real tight. We had no issues with them being dry. I actually ate one several days after the party and they were still super yummy!
I really loved this party! It was so much fun! All the kids and adults really enjoyed themselves….even ole Aunt Kim…I won’t post the pic unless she tells me I can but she’s one awesome ninja aunt!
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by jcastles | Apr 18, 2012 | Recipes, Uncategorized
A couple weeks ago we made this bbq chicken and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! We were skeptical at first but since I found it on Pinterest we had to try it!
Since I’ve been on Pinterest I’ve tried to make 1 new recipe at least every week. Even if it’s a dessert. I don’t pick meals that are going to take me a long time to make very often, I try to keep it simple.
Well when we ate the bbq chicken I said this would be good as a chicken taco. Yesterday I made those chicken tacos and OMG OMG….they are the best bbq chicken tacos i’ve EVER had!! But what was even better was the bbq chicken quesadilla I made. Just look at the inside!!
What I did was butter 2 flour tortilla’s, added some of the bbq sauce mixture onto the non buttered side, added shredded chicken, sprinkled a little colby jack cheese on top and topped with the other flour tortilla. Then I heated a skillet on high and added my quesadilla (turn heat down to med-low). Cook on each side for 1-2 min. It was seriously sooooo yummy!! I’m glad we have tons leftover!
Here’s my stepson enjoying his gigantic dinner, lol! He has 2 chicken taco’s, 1 chicken quesadilla, and for dessert I made a giant peanut butter cookie with mini reeses candies! He was so full he couldn’t even eat the pie slice of his cookie!
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by jcastles | Apr 16, 2012 | Recipes, Uncategorized
I’m 32 years old and I just got my first cast iron skillet. I never wanted to clean it up the way it needed to be cleaned so I steered clear of them. But when we lived with my Dad a few years back he would cook us breakfast and I always admired how his bacon was. So crispy, yet chewy, and well just perfect! I watched him and he used a cast iron skillet…I still didn’t want one at the time though.
Last week I decided that there’s no reason to not take the time and clean it properly. I have Pampered Chef stoneware and can hand wash that w/out soap and not have any issues so why can’t I commit to the cast iron skillet. I got the biggest Kroger had, on sale for like $18.00!!
So you might wonder…..what the first thing I cooked in it was. Well DUH!!! BACON!! Yes…I was finally going to have this glorious bacon…and yes it was glorious!!
I couldn’t stop there….I also made brownies in it the next day, lol!! I just used regular boxed brownies and LOVED how they turned out too!
I have now begun to look for more cast iron skillet recipes. If you follow me on Pinterest you’ve already seen me pinning away!.
by jcastles | Apr 13, 2012 | Recipes, Uncategorized
I found this recipe off the internet a couple years ago and I can NOT find the link to the actual recipe but here it is.
Asian Style Meatballs (for a family of 5 with big tummies, lol!)
1 big frozen package of prepared meatballs (we like the walmart brand of homestyle)
1 medium each: red and yellow pepper, cut up in chuncks or slivers…how ever you like them cut
¾ cup water
1 ¼ cup apricot jam
1 ¼ cup catalina dressing
10 Tbsp. soy sauce (little more than ½ cup)
1 ¼ Tbsp. each: ground ginger and garlic powder
3-4 cups of rice (we use instant)
COMBINE all ingredients except rice and meatballs in large bowl and mix well, add sauce and meatballs to skillet; cover. Cook on medium heat for 10 min., stirring occasionally.
INCREASE heat to medium-high; uncover. Cook 8 to 10 min., or until sauce is thickened and meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.
SERVE over the hot cooked rice.
Cut your bell peppers up and add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. The jelly will be clumpy but once it’s heated in the skillet it won’t be. I usually make the sauce a couple hours before I make the dinner and leave on the counter in a covered bowl. Just so all the ingredients are room temp and marinating together. Plus since it always seems like the kids bug me right when I’m chopping and stuff it’s easier to do this step before hand while they’re busy playing or doing homework.
We used Kroger meatballs this time but we can definitely tell you that the walmart ones are WAY better!!
Here’s the rice we use. I usually make 3 cups but need to start making 4 cups of rice.
Get a BIG skillet, add meatballs, then add sauce and following cooking instructions above.
This is one of our family favorite meals. I use to stress about making this meal because of all the ingredients when I wanted a good quick dinner. I’m sure you could make the sauce the night before (minus the bell pepper–cut those up right before cooking).
I hope you try this recipe….It’s super delish!.
by jcastles | Apr 12, 2012 | Family, Uncategorized
It seems like everyone likes to come ring my doorbell or knock so loud on my door during nap time. If it’s not scheduled deliveries it’s scheduled maintenance (everything seems to be breaking or need maintenance in this rental home!). So I grabbed me a hot pink sticky note and a sharpie and wrote “baby sleeping, please knock quietly!”. It worked 99% of the time, YAY!! But it was UGLY!! So I’d been thinking of hanging a picture outside but couldn’t come up with a cute way to display it.
We recently went to a local resale shop and they had several pieces of wood for super cheap….like under 25¢ each. Yup, got those! Then it hit me a couple days later….make a sign out of it.
I painted the wood black and used some sticky stencils I got from walmart. My paint is a folk art aqua….I might be redoing it soon to match the green ribbon but it’s what I had and I went with it. Once the stencils were on I brushed the paint on and did 2 coats. After it was all dry I used a matte clear coat to seal it all. To attach the ribbon I used two thumb tacks. I pushed the tacks through the ribbon then hammered them into the back for a tight fit. Oh and I didn’t have any bright ribbon (need it to stand out ya know) and as I was walking away from my ribbon stash all sad that I had to go back to the store I saw it! A gift bag with this ribbon for handles. I cut it off…perfect size!
I believe it works too! There was suppose to be a contractor coming to the house today to replace an awning on the front of the house. Our landlord said they’d knock to let me know they were there. So they either didn’t knock or knocked so quietly I didn’t hear them…which I’m totally fine with!
My napper napped on and I blogged on….great nap time today (2 whole hours!!)!.
by jcastles | Apr 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
So…the king of burgers has come to Texas. Let me tell you first off I HATE burgers!! Seriously I do. But when my husband told me I had to try them I did. And OMG OMG OMG let me tell you…WONDERFUL!! I had fireworks in my mouth!
I think it was winter when the first one near us opened up. The hubbs went very soon after it opened and kept telling me I needed to go. So I eventually did and I crave it all the time now!! I actually go in person to make my car payment around lunch just so I can eat there on my way home….how sad is that!
Then…it happened. One close to my house opened up! It’s still 10-15 minutes away but I got me a burger as soon as I knew they were open. We actually went on Easter and they were closed…so I went a few days later.
My order- cheeseburger with spread only, fries-well done, and a coke! Somehow I didn’t get a pic of the fries but they are also the BEST fries around!! But just look at this burger! See that cheese—yes I’m in LOVE!
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